Since Saturday, ten cell phone stores in Kent and Ottawa counties have been targeted by thieves. The Kent County Sheriff's Office believes some of them may be connected.
Here is a timeline of which stores were hit and what police know.
Late Saturday, Aug. 10 into Sunday, Aug. 11
- A Verizon store in Caledonia Township was broken into
- A Verizon store in Lowell Township was broken into
- A Verizon store in Plainfield Township was broken into
Late Sunday, Aug. 11 into Monday, Aug. 12
- An AT&T store on 10 Mile Road in Algoma Township was broken into around 3:30 a.m. on Monday. The glass on the front door was smashed in.
- A Sprint store on Northland Drive in Plainfield Township was broken into.
- A Verizon store on Cottonwood Drive near Baldwin Street in Jenison was burglarized at 7 a.m. on Monday. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said $1,600 worth of phones were taken and a front window was smashed.
- A Cricket Wireless store on North Park Drive in Holland was robbed Monday around 9:30 a.m. Police do not believe this incident is connected to the others. A suspect walked into the store shortly after it opened, pulled a gun on the clerk and demanded money.
Tuesday, Aug. 13
- A T-Mobile store on Lake Michigan Drive in Allendale was broken into when a front window was shattered around 6:30 a.m. Police said it does not appear as though anything was taken because the phones were secured in another location.
- A Verizon store on Byron Center Avenue was broken into Tuesday morning.
Wednesday, Aug. 14
- T-Mobile store on James Street in Holland Township was broken into. The front door was smashed out. Staff is still working on the actual inventory loss.
Both the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and the Kent County Sheriff's Office said they believe some of the similar crimes are connected to each other. They said detectives are working between neighboring agencies to further the investigations.
Police in Kent County said forced entry was a common factor in each of the break-ins and cell phones appeared to be the primary target. In some of the incidents, nothing was stolen.
In each break-in, there were one to four suspects who entered the store.
If you have any information regarding the identity of any of the suspects, please contact Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. Police provided these surveillance photos of the suspects:
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